Baseball Connection

Maikel Franco will suit up for the Baltimore Orioles. Franco agreed to a deal with the O's after choosing them over the Mets and Braves. Jordan Hicks made his first appearance in 2 years and it was quite a battle. Luis Guillorme worked a 22-pitch walk against him. Clayton Kershaw is set to make his 9th Opening Day start for the Dodgers - a franchise record.

The Braves anticipate that Mike Soroka will rejoin the rotation sometime next month. That will be a major boost to an already stacked squad seeking another deep playoff run. Billy Hamilton was released by the Indians, but expect to see him on an MLB roster soon. Hamilton's speed will offer enough value for somebody.

The Indians have a big void to fill at SS now that Francisco Lindor is a Met. It seems they will call on Andres Gimenez - a standout defender in his own right. There are plenty of innings up for grabs in Pittsburgh, so they signed Trevor Cahill to a one year deal.

Nick Markakis has announced his retirement. The often underrated right fielder played 15 seasons between Baltimore and Atlanta. Markakis was a model of consistency and durability. An on-base machine, elite defender, and professional hitter, we tip our hat to Nick and congratulate him on an excellent career.

Major League Baseball will be experimenting with a lot of new rules down in the Minor Leagues this year. Larger bases, no shifts, pickoff limits, and more. The goal is to inject more action on the basepaths, improve pace of play, and increase balls in play. Which of these rules do we want to see up in the Majors soon?

Mickey Moniak got a brief taste of MLB action last year, but the baseball world still hasn't really seen who he is. Drafted #1 overall in 2016, Moniak is the Phillies hopeful centerfielder of the future. His game has developed and his body has transformed in the 5 years since, so what does his MLB future look like?

Byron Buxton has major tools and everybody knows it. The main knock on him is the fact that he's injury-prone. When on the field, Buxton has shown continued improvement with his power metrics in recent years while continuing to play elite defense and rank at the top of speed charts. Will the Twins extend him before he becomes a free agent in two years?

The Nationals are planning to offer contract extensions to Juan Soto and Trea Turner. Neither player will come cheap, but it's a wise idea for the franchise to secure their young position player talent. What kind of money might be necessary?

When you're coming off a Cy Young season and fresh contract, you can make yourself feel quite comfortable at Spring Training. That's what Trevor Bauer has been doing as he experiments with different techniques. Bauer pitched with one eye closed during part of his three-inning outing. Forrest Whitley might need Tommy John. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Jake Odorizzi has finally found a team. He'll join the Astros on a two-year deal with a player option for 2023. Odorizzi can be an innings eater for Houston, and they'll really need it since Framber Valdez might be out for the year.